Another year is (nearly) gone and, as always, it's been eventful. From conflicts to protest movements and technological advances, we've worked with some of the best journalists around the world to help you understand how society is changing and the forces shaping it.
As we all reflect on the year that's been, these were some of our favourite stories of the year.
1. Hunting for Vakulenko by Jen Stout
Ukrainian writers are being targeted by Russian forces. Their loved ones are left searching for the truth. This report was shortlisted for the Foreign Press Association awards and the Anne Brown literary essay prize.
2. Andrew Tate goes east by Hussein Kesvani
The misogynistic "influencer" gained a mass following in the west. Now, his conversion to Islam is helping him go global.
3. The end of sex? by Pavan Amara
New lab technologies are set to revolutionise reproduction, with only one parent needed instead of two. What will the social consequences be?
4. Extraordinary intimacy by Mathew Lyons
A profound meditation from a writer and historian on memory, identity, and supporting his father through Alzheimer's.
5. Stay in your lane by Kenan Malik
A deep and paralysing pessimism underlies Critical Race Theory and the struggle for equality, argues writer, polemicist and New Humanist contributing editor Kenan Malik in this challenging and thoughtful piece.
6. David M. Herszenhorn on Alexey Navalny, Russia's reluctant dissident
J. P. O'Malley spoke to the author of a new biography of Alexey Navalny about the Russian political prisoner's complex views on Ukraine, his brief flirtation with far-right nationalism and how he became a reluctant dissident.
7. The church in crisis by Jeremy Rodell
Christians are now in the minority in England and Wales. Is the Church of England going to confront its own decline?
8. Farewell to coal country by Dominic Hinde
A roadtrip from Washington DC to Chicago reveals the uneven landscape of America's green transformation.
9. Intelligence is everywhere by Jay Owens
From AI to cephalopods, a new strain of "nature writing" explores the frontiers of non-human sentience.
10. Praying for the dead by Laurie Taylor
The last instalment of Laurie Taylor's long-running column for New Humanist!
11. A history of unpopular protest by Ken Worpole
It's hard to act on principle when the world is against you. The history of pacifism has lessons for us today.
12. Death to vegan junk food! by Samira Ahmed
Trendy vegans and their highly-processed "plant-based" eating are ruining our relationship with food, argued BBC broadcaster and New Humanist columnist Samira Ahmed in an article that sparked furious debate on social media.
13. How to mine an asteroid by Briley Lewis
A new breed of companies are in a race to extract enormous wealth from the solar system – but who will benefit?
14. Painting the Klan by David McAllister
A Philip Guston retrospective, now at the Tate, was postponed for two years in the wake of the #BlackLivesMatter protests. In art – as the shifting attitudes to Guston's work remind us – both form and content are political.
15. Schools of free thought by Amy Fallon
In one of the most Christian countries on the planet, a growing band of teachers are defying the norm.
16. Saving the Rohingya language by Qadri Inzamam
Scattered across the globe, the Rohingya are in danger of losing their language. One man is fighting to keep it alive.
17. The generation game by Fiona Sampson
First published in New Humanist in 1971, Philip Larkin's "This Be The Verse" has become a cultural phenomenon. But why? Our poetry editor went in search of answers.
18. The drugs do work by Carmine Pariante
The war on antidepressants is scientifically unsound. It is hurting the most vulnerable in society.
19. The moral duty to pump iron by Peter Salmon
Weightlifters were once seen as freaks – but now the fitness industry has taken over the world. How did we get here?
20. How to destroy your opponents by Yo Zushi
Firebrands on the left and right are offering lessons in how to “destroy” your opponents in debate. But what does this mean for democracy?
Thank you for reading New Humanist in 2023! We hope you've found our journalism informative, thought-provoking and enjoyable. If you have, please consider supporting us with a subscription. You can sign up before the end of the year - or treat a loved one - for just £19.99 using the code XMASOFFER. You'll get a year's worth of our beautiful magazine delivered to your door, and the digital edition to read on the go.
